By Ted Healy of DNG TED HEALY

Continuing the spring clean theme in preparing your home for sale, one of the most important rooms in the house is the kitchen.

.

If there is a showroom within your home, the kitchen is it! It's the heart of any home and can often be the most important room to would-be buyers.

When prepping your home for sale a well presented kitchen area should always look, feel and smell clean and fresh, appear spacious, bright and welcoming.

The starting point is a good deep clean. Consider a professional cleaning job if you feel it is warranted. It is money well spent as a sparkling clean kitchen will pay dividends. Make sure your oven and hob are clean and free from any grease/grime; rub down the cabinets, and polish the handles.

Make sure your kitchen floor tiles are shining, there is no excuse for a dirty kitchen floor.

Empty the bins prior to any viewings and remove all recycling and pet related items - don’t take any chances with lingering odours. Perhaps invest in a few cleverly placed air fresheners or scented candles. These will work wonders.

Clear off the worktops; a toaster and a kettle/coffee machine are about the only items one should consider leaving on the worktop. Everything else should be out of sight. Polish any marble/quartz worktops so they are shining for viewings.

Perhaps place a vase of freshly cut seasonal flowers on the counter top/kitchen table. Organise your cupboards as buyers will look inside. Now is the time to declutter those presses – remove the out of date spices and jars from the back of the cabinet! If your cabinets are overly stuffed it gives the impression there isn’t enough storage space in your kitchen.

If you have open shelving your goal should be to showcase how it can be useful and look great. Leave some open space on each shelf and only display matching sets of dishes/glasses.

Shine the kitchen tap which is a simple but effective measure, and fix any leak while you are at it. Remove any old sponges and soap containers and replace with nice looking hand soap and washing up liquid on a neat tray.

Get rid of the tea towels – they look awful.

Finally the lighting; check that each and every bulb is working and if not, replace them.

Your kitchen area is now ready for viewing.